Huffington Magazine Issue 187 | Page 3

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Charlie Rangel Calls GOP Primary A 'Terrible Political Joke' On America

"Since the beginning of this great nation, nothing like this has ever, ever, ever happened."

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) threw some harsh words at the Republican presidential hopefuls on Friday, calling the candidates "embarrassing" and insisting they're doing a "disservice to this country."

The representative from New York explained to HuffPost Live host Alyona Minkovski that while it may be "entertaining" for Democrats to watch the GOP debates, "as a patriot [and] as an American, it's just so embarrassing to see how the issues as to what makes a great president, what makes an international leader, is not discussed at all."

Rangel claimed the Republican debates are like NBC's "Saturday Night Live" sketches, adding that he doesn't think any of the candidates have had a chance to properly prove themselves.

"If I was talking with some international leaders and they were watching the debate, I would be totally embarrassed to believe that this is the group of people that are the best qualified to debate as to which one would become president of the United States," Rangel said.

Rangel said the Republican presidential race "just can't continue" like it has so far, "for the good" of the United States.

"This is a terrible political joke that's being played on the American people through the Republican party, and they are so frustrated that they don't know what to do to bring some stability to the process," Rangel said. "Since the beginning of this great nation, nothing like this has ever, ever, ever happened."

Watch the full HuffPost Live interview with Congressman Charlie Rangel here.

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